Master Media Studies Alumni Ervaringen

Als Global Communications Manager bij Philips ontwikkelt en implementeert Media & Business (2021) alumna Maria best-in-class interne en externe communicatiestrategieën om de merkreputatie te verbeteren en bedrijfsdoelstellingen te stimuleren. Ze werkt nauw samen met teams in verschillende functies en regio's om te zorgen voor effectieve communicatie en berichtgeving. Maria deelt met ons haar ervaringen met het vinden van een baan en werken in Nederland.
 

Hoe is het om als international in een tech-bedrijf in Nederland te werken? 

Het is een geweldige ervaring, en ik ben er trots op alumna te zijn van de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. Veel van mijn collega's hebben ook aan de Erasmus Universiteit gestudeerd, wat leidt tot boeiende discussies over onze gedeelde ervaringen. In deze werkomgeving kan ik een divers perspectief bieden en effectief samenwerken met collega's met verschillende culturele achtergronden. Deel uitmaken van een internationaal team bevordert creativiteit, innovatie en intercultureel begrip; allemaal van vitaal belang in het huidige mondiale bedrijfsklimaat.

Hoe zag jouw zoektocht naar een baan in Nederland eruit? 

Ik heb mijn zoektocht naar een baan in Nederland methodisch aangepakt, te beginnen met een uitgebreid onderzoek naar beurzen en stageprogramma's op websites van universiteiten en vacaturesites. Ik richtte me daarbij specifiek op beurzen met mentorprogramma's om een voorsprong te krijgen en een professioneel netwerk op te bouwen tijdens mijn masterstudie. 

En met succes: ik had het geluk om de 'NN Future Matters' beurs te ontvangen die zowel mijn studie financierde, als een mentorprogramma binnen het bedrijf omvatte. Tegen het einde van mijn studie stelde ik voor om mijn masterscriptie uit te voeren over een business case in samenwerking met NN Group, een idee dat werd toegejuicht door zowel het bedrijf als mijn scriptiebegeleider. Deze ervaring stelde me in staat om uitgebreide kennis over het bedrijf op te doen en een sterk netwerk op te bouwen. De beurs en mijn beslissing om mijn masterscriptie binnen het bedrijf te doen, hebben uiteindelijk geleid tot mijn eerste baan bij NN Group. 

Hoe heb je het sollicitatieproces in Nederland ervaren?

Het sollicitatieproces in Nederland is over het algemeen gestructureerd en grondig. Werkgevers voeren vaak meerdere gespreksrondes, waarbij de nadruk ligt op zowel technische vaardigheden als culturele geschiktheid. Als kandidaat kun je gedrags-/HR-vragen verwachten naast technische beoordelingen, zoals een schrijfopdracht voor communicatiefuncties.

Welk advies zou je willen geven aan ESHCC studenten die binnenkort de arbeidsmarkt betreden? 

Op de Nederlandse arbeidsmarkt spelen persoonlijke connecties en netwerken een belangrijke rol bij het vinden van vacatures en het bevorderen van je carrière. Daarom moedig ik studenten aan om actief deel te nemen aan netwerkevenementen, lid te worden van beroepsverenigingen en gebruik te maken van online platforms zoals LinkedIn om in contact te komen met professionals in hun interesse gebied. Het opbouwen en onderhouden van relaties met studiegenoten, alumni, mentoren en professionals uit de sector kan waardevolle inzichten, adviezen en potentiële vacatures opleveren. Aarzel dus niet om contact op te nemen met je netwerk voor mogelijkheden, of advies over de arbeidsmarkt en het vinden van een baan.

Daarnaast kan het opdoen van praktijkervaring door middel van stages, parttime banen of vrijwilligerswerk je mogelijkheden aanzienlijk vergroten en je helpen op te vallen bij potentiële werkgevers. Een andere manier om je kansen te vergroten om de aandacht van werkgevers te trekken is om je CV en sollicitatiebrief voor elke sollicitatie op maat te maken, omdat je zo je specifieke kwalificaties en oprechte interesse in de functie laat zien. 

Ten slotte is het van cruciaal belang om op de hoogte te blijven van trends in de sector, eisen van de arbeidsmarkt en vaardigheidseisen om je aan te passen en je concurrerend te positioneren op de arbeidsmarkt. Voortdurend leren en ontwikkelen zijn essentieel tijdens je carrière. Als je bijvoorbeeld de Nederlandse taal beheerst, kun je je opties verder uitbreiden, met name voor Nederlandse werkgevers of werkgevers met klantinteractie in Nederland. 

Wil je in contact komen?

Als je wilt connecten of meer wilt weten over mijn reis, aarzel dan niet om contact met me op te nemen via LinkedIn. Als voormalig ambassadeur van de faculteit blijf ik graag studenten ondersteunen die geïnteresseerd zijn in studeren of werken in Nederland.

Back to school

When I was forced to work from home in 2020 (along with many others), something started to gnaw at me: I wanted to go back to school. I wanted to learn about communication and media on a more academic level and related to societal issues. That is why I decided to follow the master programme Media, Culture & Society at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). 

Looking back at my study programme, the thing I enjoyed most was the freedom we had in the choice of paper topics. This allowed me to delve deeper into material that interested me the most: related to equity and media. This interest was further sparked by the EUR Master Honours Programme: Tackling Inequalities. Through a combination of the master and honours programme I have met a lot of different interesting, friendly, and inspiring people - both the students and the staff of EUR. 

The perfect mix

At the time I was writing my thesis, I started to get slightly anxious and also excited about what to do next. When I saw the vacancy of Community Manager at the Municipality of Rotterdam, I knew straight away I wanted to apply for it. It was the perfect mix between the experience and expertise I had already gained in previous work and in the masters programme, as well as my ambitions to work for the local government and someday have a positive impact on the world. As a community manager I am responsible for the local Facebook and Instagram pages of four areas in Rotterdam. The goal is to help people in finding their way to any help they may possibly need. For instance, if they want to organise something for their neighbourhood, or if they need financial support. On the other hand, it is also key to provide content people are interested in. 

Transparent communication

Because my study programme focused so much on equity, I have learned to look at governmental communication through this perspective as well. In times of low government trust, it is up to us to communicate in a transparent way. Moreover, I want to communicate in a way that speaks to all ‘Rotterdammers’. Therefore, our aim is always to word every message as clearly as possible. The Honours Programme also helped me a lot in coming to understand the possibilities and struggles local governments have to deal with. During my time at EUR, I have learned a lot about the power of clear and transparent communication. 

Why did you choose the Master Media and Business? Was it a conscious choice for a specific career path? What other factors contributed to your decision?
I was always interested in corporate communications during my Bachelor in Communication and Media (IBCoM), and was looking for a master programme to specialize in that field. I talked to the teachers and students of the Media and Business programme to learn more about the content. They told me about the programme’s focus on practical skills that I could fall back on when I would enter a company, which was what I was looking for. Basically, that is why I chose this programme.

Has the Media and Business programme lived up to your expectations?
Yes, definitely. It includes a lot of corporate case studies, which prepare you for life after university.

How long did it take you to find a job after graduation?
It took me two months. It was a full-time commitment: every day I got up at nine and sent out applications until six. It’s definitely a full-time job to apply for a full-time job, which I think is something that people tend to forget. You need to search actively and be on top of things all the time. 

For which organization or company do you currently work, and what is your position in the company or organization?
I work for Shell, as an External Relations Advisor.

How did you find your first job?
I was always thinking of applying to Shell, as it was definitely in my top five of companies I want to work for. However, I thought a job at Shell might be too technical for me, as I don’t really know much about chemicals or engineering. But then I talked to a few recruiters who encouraged me to apply, as they thought I would be a good fit for the company. The application process was just like any other large company: you apply on their website, you go through a whole process where they break you down and build you back up. I made it through five application rounds, and got the job.

What are your most prominent tasks?
I work for internal communications so I work inside the company, explaining and communicating to employees. Because Shell is such a massive company, the internal communications team is quite large as well. My clients consist out of different departments throughout the company. I am involved with setting up internal campaigns and organizing communications on a strategic and practical level. It’s been a very steep learning curve. Communications is not an exact science, so it’s important to know your audience well to get the message across.

Which components of your Master are useful in your current position or career trajectory?
Essay writing came in very handy, and was a really good way to prepare for a job like this. The writing component of Media and Business definitely prepared me for working in corporate communications. I need to be a chameleon, and write in different styles for different audiences.

Any advice for new graduates?
I think it’s really important to not become desperate throughout the job application process. I know that looking for a job can really crush your spirit, but it is important that you don’t let that happen. There are jobs out there. You might not get exactly what you set out for, but in the end you will get there. It’s just a matter of time.

Why did you choose the Master Media, Culture and Society? Was it a conscious choice for a specific career path? What other factors contributed to your decision?
I chose the Master Media, Culture and Society because it was a perfect addition to my Bachelor in Sociology and my strong interest in media. I read amazing things about the master and the Dutch teaching system and I wanted to add a more specialized education to my bachelor.

The fact that the master takes only one year while entailing the material of two years was just the cherry on the top, as I knew I'd gain a very intense education in the field of media culture. It was a very conscious choice for my career dreams, yes. I always wanted to become an editor. I wanted to learn as much as I could about the field of media and to conduct my own research on my special interest (fashion media) in order to really understand the sector.

Do you have any tips or recommendations for current students?
In the beginning it seems to be a huge workload. The important thing is not to panic and to have faith in your own abilities and the teachers: if you got in the master, you are able to pass it. The whole academic year is so perfectly organized, that it is more than possible to get everything done by the time it should be. So just breathe and go step by step.

How long did it take you to find a job after graduation?
It took me two months to get a traineeship. But in the meantime I was working already as a freelancer, so actually I was working right after I handed in my thesis.

How did you experience the job hunt and job application process?
I found it challenging, but manageable. Of course I was getting nervous and anxious to find a job as fast as possible, because I didn't want to depend on my parents anymore. But I had a quite high success rate with my applications: I was often invited to interviews and within the short period of two months I found a perfect match for me.

Were you well-prepared when you started your first job? Why/why not?
I started a traineeship, so it implies that I'm still being trained a lot. I had to learn a lot just by doing it. There are many practical things that are simply not taught in university, and that's okay. However I felt quite prepared with my degree and my specialized education.

For which organization or company do you currently work, and what is your position in the company or organization?
I am working at Mode Media GmbH in Munich, Germany. It is an international company with its headquarter in San Francisco. I am trainee editor.

What are your most prominent tasks?
I write and edit articles (for three websites), curated content from our network of blogs, I take pictures and edit them, but also I'm responsible for all our social network channels like Facebook, Instagram, Lookbook, Twitter, Pinterest. We just started the production of video content, so I'm part of that too, as well as communicating with PR agencies for different projects. 

Which components of your Master are useful in your current position or career trajectory?
Due to my thesis, I'm very familiar with the international blogosphere, which is a huge part of my job. Another point is that I'm super organized and can work under time pressure – two things that I've learned in my master as well. I just feel like I have a lot of knowledge that contributes to me feeling at home in this field. 

Is there anything you would like to add?
I enjoyed my master at Erasmus University very much and can only recommend the university to anyone who is serious about a certain field, especially when it comes to Media Studies. 

What was important in making up your mind?
Due my positive experience with IBCoM, I decided to pursue a Master program within the same faculty. Although my focus areas in IBCoM leaned towards another Master program, I reviewed the broad range of courses that I had taken during IBCoM and realized that my strengths and interests were more aligned with the Master in Media, Culture & Society. In my case, reading the course descriptions for this master program was very helpful because I got a better idea of what to expect in terms of content, which confirmed my interest in the program. 

What made you decide to choose for this master?
Accreditation of the program and the university, my positive experience with the faculty, as well as the research orientation and the international aspect of the program were all important factors in my decision. Having graduated from IBCoM, these decision factors needed no second thoughts. Instead, what was difficult for me in the decision-making process was to be sure that I was making the “right” decision (I emphasize the word “right” because there is no right or wrong decisions). Being an overthinker, I tried to predict my future career and include that as a factor in my decision. However, as it turns out, it can be hard to include that in your decision if you are uncertain about your future career plans. Therefore, my decision ultimately came down to listening to my strengths and interests. It might sound cliché but I realized that the only way for me to excel in my future career would be to build it on a master program that I’m passionate about. It was as simple as that; I just did not see it as clearly at the time.

How would you describe the connection between IBCoM and your master?
While there is a strong connection between IBCoM and Media, Culture and Society, the knowledge that you acquire during the master is more advanced. While you ‘dip your toes’ into many different aspects in IBCoM, you delve deeper into selective aspects in this master. What you learn in the Media, Culture & Society program is thus certainly not a repetition of what you learn in IBCoM!  

How would you describe your master?

• Intense but doable. You should expect a busy year, but it’s all worth it in the end. 
• Focused yet broad, meaning that you have the freedom to tailor the program to your interests within the realm of Media, Culture & Society. I was positively surprised to experience the different interests of my classmates, which was reflected in the diverse master thesis topics.
• Hands-on approach to the studies. More often than not, the students take the central role in this master through class discussions, presentations, debates etc.

In hindsight, what would you have liked to have known before, what you know now?
In hindsight, what I would have liked to realize more before, especially if you are graduating from IBCoM and you think that you know exactly what to expect: The Master in Media, Culture & Society is not the same as IBCoM or other Bachelor programs. It is on the next level and the expectations are in line with that (like it should be, of course). In my experience, your studies automatically become more of a priority in your master compared to before. This might seem evident, but many of us did not realize it beforehand. I guess you only know what I mean after experiencing it first-hand.

Any other points you’d like to add?
Studying and living in an international environment is, in my experience, one of the greatest ways of learning and developing as a person. The teaching approach in this master program, namely to explore the course subjects through discussions with students from many different backgrounds, takes great advantage of that. Consequently, you develop a more culturally sensitive and reflective attitude towards your studies, and surprisingly towards yourself.

More information about the Master can be found here: www.eshcc.eur.nl/english/mamedia/